


Kang The Conflicted

by KrakinKraken



Category: Marvel (Comics), Young Avengers (Comics)
Genre: (probably), Angst, Awkward Conversations, Homesickness, Multi, Non-Graphic Violence, Reunions, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-09
Updated: 2017-05-05
Packaged: 2018-10-16 20:05:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,887
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10578555
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KrakinKraken/pseuds/KrakinKraken
Summary: When his hunt for Kangs brings him to present day New York, Iron Lad is confronted with the fact that times have changed since he left, and questions if he can bring himself to desert those closest to him again.





	1. Times, They are a-changing

In Iron Lad-time, it had only been a few months since he left the team, and the wounds were still fresh. He ached to go back, to spend more time with his friends and enjoy more than a spur-of-the-moment peck on the lips with Cassie, and sometimes the risk of the complete destruction of the entire timestream seemed like a price he would be willing to pay. _Just one more kiss_ he pleaded as though something that cared was listening, as he willed himself to sleep at night, alone as always, _just one more screaming match with Eli, or one more chance to pretend to get one of Billy’s jokes._ But no. The hand he was dealt had him wandering through time and space assassinating himself, over and over. It didn’t seem fair. Then again, it didn’t seem fair that thousands of people had to suffer because one dumb kid was feeling lonely, so on he marched.  

 

This time his march led him to the outskirts of New York, only a few years after he left. This would be Kang number 14. He had been keeping track almost religiously; if he lost count, if all those he’d killed blurred together, how was he any better than Kang himself? He often thought that this rationalization was foolish, but he had to keep his sanity somehow (He was committing mass suicide for God’s sake). Another time he might have enjoyed the scenery: it was twilight in what he figured was midsummer, and the soft light flowed over the tall iron towers of the city, the glass and metal shimmering in the light. This was where the ‘’other half’’ lived, he imagined, as he looked around what he recalled being the richer area Manhattan; nearer the centre, with apartments with prices that made even Billy’s ‘’fancy’’ apartment in the Upper West side look affordable. This is where the celebrities, the big-name athletes and… he didn’t even care enough to finish the thought. He wasn’t bothered about the apartments or the buildings or the rich folk living there.

 

_They_ were close, and he had to fight harder than ever before to not run to them. He didn’t know if they lived in the same homes, or if they were even still alive, but he couldn’t let the thought go. He was here.  He was almost thankful for the explosion that snapped him back to the moment.

 

‘’Resistance is futile, you aberrant little mongrel. I’m taking it regardless of your opinion on the matter.’’

 

As frustratingly composed as ever, Kang’s voice boomed out across the quiet hills, followed by an inhuman sounded roar and several more explosions. The roaring stopped. Nate blasted as fast as his suit could carry him to the sounds of fighting and the smell of smoke. They led him to the base of one particular building, one of the taller in the area, overlooking Central Park. It would have been picturesque, had it not been for the crater that had been blown into the street, and his purple-faced futureself standing proudly on the pavement besides it, weapon still smoking. The other hand was emitting a shrill screech that was almost deafening at this range, some kind of sonic assault, Nate assumed, focused on another figure, kneeling and clutching its head and presumably screaming in agony. Not that they could even hear it. From the looks of it, Kang had caught them off guard; the kneeling man had shopping bags scattered around him, most likely that he’d dropped when Kang had made his move.

Kang looked from the man, to the crater, as though he considered them to be equal threats to him ( _What could possibly take that kind of firepower, and STILL be a problem?),_ and back. Seemingly satisfied he had won soundly, he cautiously lowered his gun, and began tapping the controls on his other wrist. _He’s running again_ Nate realised. He threw caution to the wind and opened fire from his position down the street, unnoticed behind a car, hoping the prisoner wouldn’t be harmed, but, much to his dismay when he would reflect later, not truly caring.

 

For a time traveller who claimed to be omniscient, Kang was awfully easy to surprise. The only defence he could muster before the onslaught of energy blasts and explosive projectiles hit was to raise his gauntleted hands to shield his face, and was thrown backwards into the side of the building, chunks of armour and concrete scattering across the floor.

 ‘’WHO DARES ATTACK I, KA-’’ the next wave caught him again, but this time he was ready; in the second or so between attacks, he had managed to activate a shield strong enough to withstand the blow without showing any signs of strain, as well as summoning a weapon that made Iron Lad’s seem like a fleabite _and_ starting his megalomaniacal speech. Truly, he was a supervillain.

 

The counterattack was enough to hastily teach Nate that mid-battle banter had a time and a place. And this was not it. The beam that exploded from the cannon was immense; it would easily envelope him entirely, if it managed to hit, and would likely not leave much behind. He dodged as best he could, still feeling the intense heat as the beam scorched by, even through his armour, and promptly crash landed onto a nearby car, the cabin crumbling under his weight. He felt the impact of the blast on a car further down the street, completely obliterating it, as the ground as far as he could see trembled, and the people who had been lingering made a break for it, mercifully unharmed so far. He was grounded, and would not survive another shot.

 

The older Kang watched the younger crash to the Earth almost comically. With a derivative _hmph,_ he took aim again, and, as his cannon whirred up to finish the fight, he realised too late that there were more than two people, or rather two versions of one person, on the scene. He frantically looked back to where the prisoner was kneeling; but there was no one there. Instead there was a figure hovering ominously before him; deep red cape flowing behind it, with a hood shading his face completely, besides the burning blue eyes.

 

Kang dropped the cannon, desperately trying to bring the sonic emitter, desperately trying to stop him focusing-

 

‘’ _No’’_ a voice seemed to boom from beneath the hood, but it was little more than a whisper.

 

The gauntlet let out a spark and a puff of smoke as Kang flailed it in his direction, the other hand already in the process of yanking another weapon from his stash hidden in the timestream, but, again, the Lord of Time was too slow.   

 

‘’ _No more guns...’’_ the voice hissed again.

 

The other gauntlet crackled uselessly, the cannon turning to dust at their feet.

 

‘’ _No more shields...’’_

 

The forcefield flickered out of existence.

 

‘’ _And no more tricks.’’_

 

The rest of the suit lost all power.

‘’Y-you dare-’’ Kang stuttered, as imposing as a man in his position could be.

 

‘’ _I do_ ’’ the voice whispered, the noise of it ringing through Kang’s ears, until it dropped any sense of mysticism or foreboding, once more becoming the voice of a man not legally allowed to drink.  

 

‘’It was Game of Thrones night, you _monster_ ’’

 

Before he could retort, Kang was blasted back by a pulse of sheer energy shot from the entity’s galaxy-covered palm, towards the crater, where he was caught in the back by an enormous green fist; the impact alone was enough to cause the armour on his upper body to explode off of him. He was thrown forward onto the saturated patio,  and attempted rise again, a vengeful snarl etched onto his features, until a light _zap_ knocked him out.

 

The hooded figure rushed to help his ally out of the hole, seemingly forgetting Nate was even there. Not that Nate could blame him; he had sat in the mud for the bulk of the fight, simply in awe. Fights between himself and Kang could last hours, a battle of wits and technology, but these two had picked him apart in seconds. And he couldn’t shake the thought that they were familiar…

 

Almost without thinking, he urged himself forward, his own gauntlet whirring up to finish job. As he trudged forward he listened to the couple bicker, as he had so many times before.

 

‘’Are you _sure_ you’re-’’

 

‘’For God’s sake, Billy, I’m fine’’ the scaly Hulk chuckled back.

 

And there it was. Of course he had known already, but some part of him denied it. And now he knew for sure. They were his friends, chuckling and fussing over each other as they did when he had known them.

 

He was in full autopilot now, his mind lost in what felt like distant memories of a time long passed….

 

‘’ _YO’’_ the older Teddy’s voice rang out, and suddenly Nate was being shoved backwards by an unnaturally long arm. Snapping out of his nostalgic stupor, he realised he had absently been pointing his weapon at the unconscious Kang, ready to go in for the kill, when Hulkling had knocked him back. The thought of _‘’Young Avengers don’t kill’’_ ran around his head. It was his rule, but he’d broken it the same week the team was put together officially.

 

Finally coming back to reality, he looked up at the people who were once his friends. Teddy has shifted back to his human form, worry written all over his face. He looked so much older. Bulkier, more defined, seeming more comfortable with his shape now. _It’s been years, you idiot._ Billy, however, didn’t drop whatever spell was concealing his face; the dying sunlight still streamed onto his hood, but no light reached it. His new outfit was strange: his longer, less ragged cape billowed dramatically behind him( _How very Billy),_ and the arms were covered in this strange black material, with moving images of various celestial bodies moving across it, like a window into some far off region of space. Most unsettling of all was the eyes. There was no detail to them, no pupils. They were simply unblemished beacons of his ominous blue light, yet he could feel the piercing stare as the three of them stood in silence amongst the ruins of their street, for what felt like forever.  


	2. ''Companionable'' Silences

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When he's left alone with one of his old friends, Nate realises there's something amiss.

The boys’ apartment was spacious and open, but still managed to be cosy. It was tastefully decorated to the extent that Nate was fairly confident that Billy hadn’t been so much as consulted during the entire process. Teddy had probably gone straight to Kate when they’d gotten the place.. assuming they still talked. There were so many questions to ask as he stood looking out of the window, taking in the sight of Central Park, with the backdrop of Manhattan at sundown, with Teddy sitting behind him on their couch, watching him curiously. Billy had opted to stay on the ground, fixing the damage they had done during the battle, and watching over Kang until someone from the Avengers, or maybe SHIELD, came to spirit him away. When Nate had left, a repair job that size would have wiped him out, but now he didn’t even seem to hesitate in trying.  _ Times really have changed, I guess  _ he thought to himself, although he gladly would have taken exhaustion over the sheer awkwardness of their living room. 

 

Neither of them had said a word since Teddy had shyly asked him if he’d like to come upstairs. Another time, the silence might have even been companionable, but not now. It was as though they barely knew each other. Eventually, after who knows how long, the silence became too oppressive.

 

‘’So… nice place you have here’’ Nate mumbled, cursing himself for being so cliche. It wasn’t exactly like questions about the apartment were foremost in his mind right now, but the team had made sure to beat it into him that just leaping right into a topic like ‘where are the rest of the friends I knew years ago, and how are you all doing, because I’m being driven crazy by loneliness’ was frowned upon. He should warm up with some light conversation. Nate sucked at all conversations though. Weight didn’t factor into the equation.   

 

Poor Teddy almost jumped right out of his seat, genuinely surprised that the blanket of silence had been ripped off of the room. 

 

‘’Oh. Um. Yeah. We- we like it.’’ he stuttered, rubbing the back of his head and desperately trying to avoid eye contact. Nate suspected that he’d be much redder if he didn’t have a superpower specifically capable of stopping it. ‘’It was a gift?’’ he offered, hoping the conversation would continue. Hollow and meaningless as it was, it was preferable to letting the silence take root again.  _ OR  _ letting the conversation go somewhere else.  

  
  
  


‘’A… gift.’’ Nate repeated, looking over the apartment with a new lense. They didn’t have to pay for a goddamn thing. The hell did I miss?

 

‘’Bobby’s kinda… eccentric.’’ was Teddy’s explanation, as though it actually explained something. He had no idea who Bobby was or why he was buying them a high-end apartment, but Nate decided that it was probably best not to pry. He had to avoid ‘’spoilers’’... but there was a lot he really wanted to know. And from the chewing of his lip, Teddy seemed to be dreading it as much as he was.

 

But, against his better judgement, he asked it anyway.

 

‘’So... How is everyone?’’

 

He had literally witnessed Teddy fall out of the sky onto a concrete ground, but he had still never seen an expression that pained on his face. 

 

‘’They’re… uh… everyone’s… fine! Great, even.’’ he awkwardly chuckled out, an agonised smile forced on his. ‘’The whole gang is just… just great!’’. He, for some reason burst into uncontrollable laughter, and tried to drown it with the drink sitting on the table. He wasn’t sure whose it was, what it was, or how long it had been there, but it gave him an excuse to not talk. For now. 

 

Nate could only stare back. The only reason he could be acting like this is if someone wasn’t ‘’great’’, but he couldn’t bring himself to tell the truth. His mind raced with possibilities; what if someone had died? Was Cassie okay? He was more desperate for answers now than he ever had been, and finally his will gave out. 

 

‘’Teddy, what-’’

 

‘’I’M GOING TO CHECK HOW BILLY’S DOING’’ Teddy explained suddenly, abruptly jumping to his feet and dashing off into one of the rooms of the apartment, fumbling to get his phone out of his pocket as he went and slamming the door behind him.

 

And so Nate was alone. Alone with the thoughts of something horrible befalling one of the closest friends he’s ever had.  _ What happened,  _ he pondered anxiously,  _ what can’t he tell me? _ He paced up and down the apartment for what felt like forever. Then he sat on the couch, held his head in his hands, and tried his hardest to hold back a sob, before moving over to the window and pressing his forehead against it, staring off into the horizon mind still racing. And then he paced. And he sat. And he leaned. And he paced. And he sat. And he leaned.

 

Over and over he paced and he sat and he leaned. He  _ must  _ have done it more than a dozen times before some sort of… noise interrupted his thoughts. In a way, he was grateful for it. On the other hand,  _ something _ was coming, and he was totally unprepared. He clumsily tipped over the couch, using it as cover as he crouched behind it, gauntlet whirring up. 

‘’ _ Teddy’’  _ he whisper-yelled, trying to catch his attention without giving himself away. He could still hear him the muffled sound of the youth trying to regain his composure mid-conversation with his boyfriend; he wasn’t likely to hear anything less than a yell, and that would be more likely to panic him more than anything else. So Nate resigned himself to lying in wait, and listening the the noise closing in.

 

‘’YoumeanTHEironladasintheonewhobecomesthedudewhotriestoblowuptimeandenslavehumanityorsomething?’’

 

The noise seemed human, but was distorted in some way, as though it had been sped up several dozen times. Far beyond what the human mind could sort through with any degree of accuracy.

 

‘’Yep.’’ came the grumbling reply, laced with frustration.  _ That  _ voice he recognised, although it had dropped significantly over the past couple of years. 

 

The realisation came too late, however, and Iron Lad still had a fully charged energy gauntlet pointed at the door as Billy came through, accompanied by… something. It was a blur of green and white, and before he knew it he  _ didn’t  _ have a fully charged energy gauntlet pointed at the door. In fact, he didn’t have a gauntlet at all. Or armour. In the blink of an eye, the blur had completely removed the 31st century, top of the line battle armour without any time for resistance, leaving it scattered across the ground. At least he assumed so. All he had time to make sense of was the three resounding  _ cracks _ of fist against face as the noises blurred together, and everything went dark. 

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first time in a VERY long time that I've written anything, so I'd appreciate any feedback anyone might have.


End file.
